Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdoğan has said Cristiano Ronaldo was subjected to a "political ban" at the World Cup after he compared the Portuguese footballer to Lionel Messi.

 "They (the administration) destroyed Ronaldo," the Turkish president told a youth event in the eastern province of Erzurum, Al Jazeera reported. Unfortunately, they have imposed a political ban on Ronaldo.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that sending a footballer like Ronaldo to the pitch with just 30 minutes left in the match destroyed his psychology and took away his energy. "Ronaldo is someone who stands up for the Palestinian cause.


The 37-year-old came on as a substitute in the second half of the World Cup quarter-final game against Morocco, which Portugal lost 1-0. Former Manchester United and Real Madrid footballers were also on the bench when Portugal faced Switzerland in the round of 16.

There have been widespread reports that Ronaldo donated 1.5 million euros to the Palestinians after the Golden Boot award auction, while the sports management company representing the footballer in 2019 has denied such reports.

A photo of Ronaldo in Spanish with "Together with Palestinians" was widely shared online and was in fact an expression of support for the victims of the 2011 Spanish earthquake.